All of the prior art known to Applicant teaches the use of endothermic agents in heat sinks wherein the endothermic agents are either coated, adsorbed or packed into various supporting structures.
For example, Applicant's first patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,916 discloses an endothermic agent adsorbed onto the fibers of the fabric matrix.
Applicant's second patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,914 discloses an thermal storage compound packed into an open cell network, comprising natural, synthetic or metal fibers, spheres, particles, foams, or materials capable of being formed into a container suitable for enclosing and maintaining an item's high heat.
There are two very serious drawbacks to the prior art. First, leakage of the endothermic or thermal storage compound to the surrounding environment can occur, if the physical integrity of the various underlying supporting structures is somehow compromised. Such leakage will diminish the effectiveness of the heat sink material and may even lead to the harm and destruction of the item or material the heat sink material is supposed to protect, particularly if the endothermic or thermal storage compounds are harsh and corrosive.
Second, the underlying structures upon which the endothermic or thermal storage compounds are coated, absorbed, adsorbed or packed tend to be stiff and inflexible. The further coating, absorption, adsorption and packing of endothermic or thermal storage compounds on and within such structures will cause them to stiffen even more. This stiffening of the material renders them entirely unsuitable in applications where the heat sink materials must be flexible and in certain situations light, thin and drapeable.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a composition of matter that can act as a heat sink/heat shield, but which will resist leaking the endothermic compound into the environment, by eliminating any possibility of a compromise of the structural integrity of the underlying carrier or support structure in the heat sink material.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a composition of matter for applications requiring a heat sink/heat shield which needs to be thin, flexible, drapeable, and/or conformable, while simultaneously protecting and insulating against high or low heat environments.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a composition of matter for applications requiring a heat providing material which will be thin, flexible, drapeable, and/or conformable, while simultaneously protecting and insulating against extreme cold environments.
The aforementioned objects, as well as others, will be found in detail in the following written disclosure.